


By My Side And In My Heart

by Lady_Cinna



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: ? - Freeform, Adrien is kinda a hoe, Aged-Up Character(s), But we still love him, Come on guys its been 3 years!, F/M, I had a thought okay, I honestly dont know how to tag anything, I'll figure tags out later, Its midnight and I've forgotten whats in my own story, Marinette owns a cafe, Post Hawkmoth, Post-Canon, Set about 3 years after current timeline, Slow Burn, Soulmate Au: Soulmate necklaces, Take this, They are soulmates but dont know it yet, They're cute and I wanted to write, Ughhhhhhh... Yes, Unbeta'd, We publish our first drafts like men, what more do you want from me, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-05-28 10:21:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15046784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Cinna/pseuds/Lady_Cinna
Summary: Adrien is a free spirit, waiting for his soulmate to find him as he drifts through his life with the wind beneath him. Marinette is a cautious soul, holding herself back as she longs to find her soulmate and holds them dear to her heart.___After being gone for months, Adrien returns to Paris to reunite with his old friend and his lady. Their high school crushes may be gone but a spark is still there. But they can't be soulmates, right? They would have known by now! They twist and turn around each other but always end up falling back. Maybe that is whats known as fate.___Soulmate Au info in notes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Soulmate Au where you are given a gem necklace that matches your soulmate, representing them and their moods through colour. When two soulmates meet, their gems light up and shine, this is known as 'the clash'. Not all 'clashes' happen at the first meeting though. It only occurs when both parties are mature and stable enough to be soulmates. Platonic soulmates also exist as small gems typically worn on the wrist. Platonic soulmates also have clashes but not as intense. Some may lose their soulmate as they change from who they used to be, and some may grow new soulmates as they themselves grow. But as long as you have a soulmate, you will always clash, but no one knows when.
> 
> Okay so this is one of my first proper writing pieces, I'm not very good but I thought this was a fun little idea. I hope you enjoy, I can't promise to update frequently or reliably as it all depends on my life day to day. This is highly unbeta'd and I'm sorry, I hope you enjoy, feel free to send me any questions you have about the AU!

As all supervillain fights must, the fight with Hawkmoth was accompanied with the loud, repetitive, pounding of rain on the roof. It’s only purpose seemed to be to make the end result more depressing, as they stood above Hawkmoth, all of them beaten and bruised, it did not feel like a victory, it simply felt like the end to an era without the start to another.

To say it was exhausting was the understatement of the year; the battle with Hawkmoth was long and demanding but somehow they made it through. They each had more bruises than they could count and were past the point of fatigue but the job had to be finished. Ladybug had confiscated the butterfly miraculous and in an instant, the disguise dropped. Nooroo had apologised over and over but it seemed to be nothing but background noise, both of the heroes knew that there always had to be someone behind the mask but once he was standing there in front of them it all finally became a reality. Marinette took her time processing how anyone could cause this much terror in the name of greed. She didn’t, however, notice Chat Noir’s unwavering stare, piercing through the man in front of him as if there could be nothing in the world more cruel. He may have stood there for minutes or mere seconds before Ladybug noticed his glare.

“Chat?” she croaked out, the adrenaline from the battle finally wavering. His head snapped up just a fraction, her voice pulling him back to his senses. He quickly turned towards her, he took small steps until he was beside her, he grabbed her arm gently but his grip held strong. Ladybug looked up and in his eyes, she saw something that she had never seen before; rage? Grief? She didn’t know. It took him a moment before he finally returned her gaze, he faced her and spoke softly, the fire of a thousand suns burning behind his eyes.

“Tomorrow, meet me on patrol at dusk” Chat’s voice wavered slightly, his emotions threatening to spill over at any minute. As soon as he saw confirmation in Ladybug’s eyes he swiftly jumped out of the window and away.

Ladybug glanced around at the dim room, the blank walls, the atmosphere almost oozing solitude. Her eyes finally fell on the man in the room, he had fallen to his knees and cradled his head in his hands, Marinette may have even heard sobs from his direction. She quickly turned her back to him, not daring to take another look. She spun her yo-yo before releasing it out the window, finding purchase on a nearby roof, she tested the line by giving it a soft tug. Turning her head slightly over her shoulder, her voice barely a whisper.

“I hope you will someday find comfort in this loneliness,” she said, not giving the man chance enough to reply before she launched herself out of the window, into the dark, stormy sky with a small purple kwami pressed close to her chest.

~~~

As the sun slowly dipped closer and closer to the horizon, Marinette packed up her sketchbook and prepared herself, gently nudging Tikki to wake her from her nap before she called out the words and in an instant her red suit enveloped her body, her clothes seeming to evaporate into a mist to give way to the red spotted fabric that swallowed her form. She blinked, adjusting to her form before she climbed to her balcony and swung away towards the sun.

It didn’t take long to find Chat Noir but that doesn’t mean he made it easy. He wasn’t at any of their usual patrol meeting points, she found him on top of an isolated roof, watching the sun as it began to dip its toes under the horizon. His head shifted slightly when he heard her feet land on the roof close by, but he did nothing as she slowly moved closer and sunk down next to him with a deflated sigh.

It felt like eon’s before either of them spoke a word, their gentle breathing being snatched away by the sound of the animated Parisian streets below. Marinette knew better than to push Chat, a younger version of herself would have pressed him until he spoke but after years of partnership, she knew better.

The gentle rise and fall of his chest became rhythmic and comforting, giving Marinette all the assurance that she needed to tell that the moment was real. She dragged her hands slowly back and forth across her legs as she watched the sun descend further. It had almost disappeared by the time Chat spoke up. She watched out of the corner of her eye as his chest filled with a deep breath and let it out again as he lifts his head to the sky faintly.

“We’ve been partners for almost three years now, my lady” he breathed out. Marinette wasn’t sure what she expected him to say but reminiscing definitely wasn’t it. “I think I’ve spent all this time seeing you as a figurehead and forgetting that you’re a person behind that mask. This fight with Hawkmoth and seeing him without the mask has really changed that for me.” He inhaled a shaky breath. “I don’t want to be hidden behind a mask anymore” he whispered.

Marinette pulled back a little, the one thing that had always been apart of their partnership was the secret of who they were. They both knew that it was important to protect themselves, so why was he proposing this now.

Chat turned towards Ladybug and upon seeing her shocked expression he quickly continued. “Because of what we do I had almost forgotten that there was a person behind Hawkmoth’s mask and I think you did too.” His voice slowly rising as he spoke, “I don’t want us to become that, faceless nobodies who don’t exist past our identities.” He took a deep breath and allowed his voice to settle back to a normal volume. “If I know you I want to be there for you like I’m not now, and if I don’t know you, I want to become your friend so I can be someone more than just a stranger to you.”

Chat’s eyes stared into hers unwavering and strong. He didn’t make any move to push her but she knew that he awaited an answer. She shifted her body so that she was fully facing him and he did the same, she spent a couple of minutes simply tracing his face with her gaze, fully taking in the way the light from the fading sun caught the dips of his face and reflected slightly off his eyes. Marinette knew there was no turning back from what she was about to do so she spent her time taking in every ounce of the person she knew to be her Chat Noir so no matter what came next, he would always be there in her mind. Marinette blinked slowly, letting her eyes drift up the vivid green in front of her before she gently took his hands in hers, allowing him time to settle before she closed her eyes.

“You better not hate me or anything after this, Chaton” she said, quickly followed by “Spots off”

Her disguise dropped and Marinette heard Chat make a noise that sounded as if he was trying to say something but it got caught in his throat from the surprise. It almost sounded akin to a whine.

“I knew the kitty could purr but I didn’t know the kitty could meow,” said Marinette, laughter threatening to overcome her as she sat in front of him.

“Oh I think you’d be surprised, this kitty can do many things you wouldn’t expect. I can even use a litter box” Without the use of her sight, Chat’s voice seemed to ring through clearer than it ever could, drowning out the sounds of the street below as he himself dissolved into laughter, dragging Marinette down with him.

To each other, their laughter each sounded like bells, cutting through their senses and surrounding them. They took a minute to quell their laughter, hands still connected. Marinette didn’t dare open her eyes yet, she didn’t know how Chat was really going to react and she wouldn’t let the moment be whisked away from her just yet.

“Plagg, claws off.” Chat muttered, Marinette saw a light briefly illuminating the backs of her eyelids before almost darkness once again. “You know, Mari, I don’t think I could have asked for anyone better to be my lady”.

Marinette shifted uncomfortably for a moment before she tilted her head down and finally released the tension in her eyes, letting her eyelids slowly flutter open. She blinked a couple times to focus her vision and ever so slowly lifted her head back up until she could see who sat in front of her.

“Adrien!?” she squeaked, her voice betraying her as she tried to appear calm, her eyes blew out wide and her jaw might as well have plummeted through the centre of the Earth as she sat there, gaping at him. Adrien, however, merely let out a small giggle.

“The one and only?” he said with a sly smirk making its way across his lips. “If I’m not the one and only I think that we might have some problems”. Marinette took another couple seconds before she managed to piece herself back together and lift her jaw from the ground.

 

“All this time, all this time” Marinette's voice started to trail off “The boy who’s been in front of me has also been beside me” Adrien shifted nervously with her words.

“Well if it helps, my oblivious ass didn’t think to notice the only girl with dark hair and pigtails after all these years either, so I can’t really say it wasn’t obvious.” Adrien chuckled before his attention was stolen away by a dark shape whizzing past his left ear.

“Now that we’ve established that you’re both oblivious idiots can we get something to eat, I’m starving” Plagg dragged out the word ‘starving’ making him sound almost exactly like a three-year-old.

“Plagg!” Tikki scolded from over Marinette’s shoulder. Plagg, however, was not listening, he had instead begun nudging the side of Adrien's face, squishing his cheek slightly with each nudge, his expression becoming more irritated each time.

 

“I will give you a whole case of cheese if you stop bothering me, you annoying little hairball” Adrien groaned, his statement quickly followed up by a loud “Deal” from his kwami. Adrien broke their clasped hands apart and began fishing through his bag for his snack. Marinette took the opportunity to take out some cookies and give them to Tikki, gently nudging her towards Plagg with a soft “I’m sure you two have much to talk about”.

Once the two kwami’s had disappeared, Adrien almost snatched Marinette’s hands back into his, not taking kindly to the idea of being separated for too long. Marinette chuckled a little at his impatience.

“You know, I’m not sure how I didn’t recognise your mop of hair sooner, silly kitty. It’s almost as bad as Chloe’s” Marinette said, slowly letting the tension in her body release as she became more comfortable.

“Just be careful that I don’t tell her you said that, Bugaboo. She’ll call her Daddy on you and replace your hair ties with old rubber bands.” he snickered.

“Oh, my! Whatever shall I do, my life will be ruined forever!” Marinette turned away from Adrien, dramatically placing her arm over her forehead and collapsing back onto him, causing him to let out a soft ‘oof’. Before she could move back though, he quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her against him like a lifeline. Marinette stiffened slightly before adjusting to the new position and sinking against him. They spent a long time in silence after that, Marinette fidgeting with the blue/green soul-gem around her neck while Adrien traced gentle patterns on her skin with his fingertips. They sat in comfortable silence as they watched the last of the sun dip towards the horizon, basking the sky in vibrant hues of orange, pink and purple, leaving still enough light to see but just dark enough that the sky had now begun to shine with the twinkles of thousands of stars, weaving their way through the warm Parisian air.

As the last of the light faded from the watercolour sky, Marinette spoke once more, barely a whisper, quiet enough that Adrien almost missed it.

“You know, Chaton. I don’t think I could have found a better partner in anyone”.

~~~

 

As if the polished white walls and plain atmosphere weren't enough to make the scenery bleak, the whole building seemed to smell like craft glue, and that wasn’t a smell that Adrien appreciated being bombarded with at any time. He followed the rest of the crowd, trudging along in a simple, rhythmic pattern, following the guided signs like sheep, before the crowd dissipated and split off in different directions. Adrien began finding his way along the wide corridors, absentmindedly noticing how the decor went from dull and bleak to bad and boring, entire halls lined with obnoxiously large white pillars and large glass windows that didn’t look as if they’d seen a cloth in weeks.

He stopped in a large open waiting area, fighting the groggy stiffness that came with being cramped in tiny spaces. A luggage carousel moved bags along at an agonisingly slow pace as he waited to see his bag emerge with the rest. After a couple of minutes, his bag finally joined the queue and he grabbed it off. It was black and worn and it carried everything he had known from his travels.

As far as anyone in Paris was concerned, he still was travelling; off with Nino somewhere in America, they were sure in for a surprise when he showed up back home.

He gathered his things and headed towards the central doors, pushing them open and taking his first steps back home in almost a year. Out of the pressurised cold of the airport, finally feeling the breeze as it danced over his skin and filled his lungs with the sweet scent of warmth and spring.

The taxi ride couldn’t have been duller, yet somehow, Adrien still managed to make it the most exciting thing of his week. He had to stop himself from bouncing off the walls of the cabin as he thought back to all his memories of Paris and what would greet him when he got there. He thought about the Dupain-Cheng bakery and the wonderful smells and tastes. He thought about Alya and what new predicament she’d pull him down into, finally seeing Plagg once more. And he thought of finally talking to his lady again, pulling her close and talking about what he’d missed. As his thoughts got away from him, the scenery out the taxi window became more and more familiar, but Adrien didn’t happen to notice until the car pulled to a stop outside his old apartment. He promptly paid the driver and got his luggage, before taking a moment to look up at the looming building in front of him; it had been nine months since he had seen it, it was the first cemented sign of him returning to his old life. He hauled his suitcase up the stairs and to his room, taking out the key that had been tucked away in his bag for months, pushing it into the keyhole and opening the door.

The apartment smelled damp and dusty but nothing inside had changed since he had been here last. It still housed the simple couch, the light blue walls and the large window, which were both completely covered in dust and looking particularly uninviting. After Adrien’s quick survey of the room he decided he wasn’t going to spend his first day back in Paris cleaning windows and walls; so he dropped his bags, grabbed what he needed and walked back out the door.

~~~

Maybe it was just his might flaunting his happy memories in front of him but Adrien could swear that the air in Paris smelled sweeter than anywhere else he’d been. The wind around him swirled with purpose, guiding him down the streets, he passed the park where he and Ladybug had fought off countless Akuma's, he dropped by to Tom and Sabine’s bakery to say hello and almost buy half their stock before circling back to the park to sit and eat. He quickly fired off a text to Nino, telling him he was back in Paris while he munched on his eclair.

As he sat, the afternoon sun brought with it the cold wind, tousling his hair and sending shivers through his skin. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself and started on his walk back home, not one for staying in the cold too long; not wanting to lose his time outside in the streets, taking a long twisting way back before his pace halted at the sight of the cafe in front of him.

It stuck out slightly from the rest of the shops close to it, it had a rustic style about it but still one that managed to breathe elegance that felt unattainable. There were natural wood highlights and brick finishings, the front door was glass allowing Adrien to see in just enough. There were lights hanging down from the ceiling, some of them covered with homemade ornaments that coloured the lights, sending small beams of light all over the room like a disco ball. There were fairy lights wrapped around every pillar in the room and hung from the planks in the bare wood ceiling in colours of blues, greens and purples, flickering every few seconds, there were chairs set up all over one half of the room, a mixture of fancy, wooden carved chairs all the way down to stools; and on the other side, a large countertop with a cash register, coffee machine and a glass cabinet full of sweets. Adrien slowly moved towards the cafe, it looked exactly the same as when he had left. As he reached the door, he looked up at the glowing red sign above him that read “Sweet Spots” and felt a smile creep onto his face. He always did love that his lady had named it that.

Pushing inside he immediately felt the comfy warmth seep through his skin, accompanied by the comforting smell of coffee and pastries, mixed in with his ladies signature scent of vanilla. His presence was announced by a soft ringing but he continued to stand at the door for a second, taking it in before his gaze fell onto a figure standing in the middle of the room, talking to one of the other customers at a table. It was his lady, it was Marinette. She had grown her hair out enough to tie it up into a small bun with the short ends coming loose and sticking out the sides like spikes; she still wore Tikki’s earrings but he also noticed a set of two piercings higher up on her ear. She wore simple but classic clothes that hugged her form while staying casual, she had four different bracelets on her wrists, one leather, one chain, and one woven, each adorned with a soul-gem for her platonic soulmates and hidden under the rest was his own gem, green and black, hung on a golden chain. But on her chest was an elegant thin double chain where her romantic gem hung, blue, green and black, contrasting her skin and somehow bringing her whole figure into deeper focus. Adrien watched as she gave the customer a final remark before she moved up from the table and started to turn around. As soon as she met Adrien’s eyes she froze if she was holding something she would have definitely dropped it. Her eyes widened before a spark ignited behind them and she began running towards him at speed.

She jumped just before she crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and forcing him to support her weight as she dangled slightly off the ground. It took him a moment to adjust but Adrien then returned her hug with full force, swinging her around slightly before putting her back down on the ground, she, however, pulled him down with her, refusing to let go for a few more seconds.

“Hi, Mari” he spoke softly into her shoulder, breathing in her scent which he had long missed, along with the rest of her. “I’ve missed you”.

Marinette pulled back, allowing him to see her properly, there were small tears beginning to well up in her eyes and her smile seemed like it might fall off from how hard she was grinning.

“I’ve missed you too, silly cat,” she said. She punched him in the shoulder. “What the hell are you doing back in Paris without telling me? Does this mean Nino is back too?!” she almost squealed.

“Surprise?” She punched him again “Ow! No Nino isn't back with me, he’s staying in America for at least three more months, I don’t know when he’ll actually be back. I just got bored and came back all by myself”.

“Oh really?” She gasped “You didn’t need Uncle Nino to hold your hand at the airport?” She said, her tone not unlike one used to talk to a puppy.

“No I diiiidn’t. I’m all gwown up, I’m four years old now!” Adrien said as he held up three fingers for her to see, following the charade with a child-like voice.

Marinette giggled “Oh yes, I can see that, you ridiculous cat”. They both sat there smiling at each other for a couple seconds more than would be considered normal before Adrien’s eyes slowly drifted over her shoulder to an incredibly large green and black poster that was pinned up on the back wall of the cafe.

“... Mari? ...Is that seriously the same Chat Noir poster?” Adrien asked, slowly lifting his finger to point at the poster. Marinette looked a bit confused before she turned around and almost burst out laughing.

“Wh-What do you mean? I see nothing wrong with the poster” Marinette was trying her hardest to keep her voice steady while giggles overwhelmed her. The poster in question took up almost half the wall. It was black and green and had a very cutesy but unflattering drawing of Chat Noir and ‘Chat Nya Appurroved!’ In delicate, loopy calligraphy; Marinette had put it up on the first day that she opened the cafe. Adrien had hoped that she would have taken it down while he was away, but he had no such luck.

“Is this my only legacy now, a Chat Nya poster, is this how I will be remembered?” Adrien said, kicking up the dramatics as high as he could. Marinette reached up to her tiptoes and ruffled his hair.

“Stop being so dramatic, alley cat,” She said “Come on, take a seat and I’ll get you a coffee, Vanilla right?” already turning towards the counter as she spoke.

“Uh, yeah, that would be great, thanks Mari” Adrien looked around the room but finally settled on a table in the corner and watched out the window as the sky started slowly fading from radiant orange to soft pinks. It didn’t take long before Marinette set down a mug in front of him and quickly waved off his offer of payment.

While Adrien sat, slowly enjoying his drink he didn’t notice the customers slowly leaving the cafe. It wasn’t until he noticed Marinette cleaning up that he realised the time. He hurriedly finished the rest of his drink and stood up, taking his cup to the counter and then grabbing the broom in the corner and sweeping. Once Marinette noticed she tried to snatch it but Adrien danced around her until she finally gave up, both working in comfortable silence until they were done. Marinette turned off the lights and closed up the cafe but just as Adrien was about to leave, Marinette grabbed his hand and started pulling him along with her.

“Come on, dork. I have something for you,” she said, Adrien struggling to catch up to her as he was dragged along behind her, eventually he managed to fix his pace and walk beside her, once their hands dropped after a moment, he missed the warmth, stuck with a phantom imprint of her hand in his. It wasn’t long before they reached her apartment and stumbled in out of the cold.

Marinette left Adrien behind as she ventured further into the apartment, Adrien didn’t even have enough time to take in the apartment before she was back in front of him, holding two packages in her hands, Adrien immediately recognised the first package and all but snatched it out of Marinette’s hands, he snapped it open and in a flash of green, a small black kwami materialized before his eyes.

“Oh, it’s you.” Plagg sounded less than amused to see Adrien, crossing his tiny arms and huffing.

“Oh come on, sourpuss. You and I both know you’ve missed me” if anyone was paying close attention they could have sworn that he had tears in his eyes.

“I suppose you could persuade me to admit that for some camembert” He sneered

‘Do you have no shame, Plagg?”

“Not when it has anything to do with cheese. Marinette’s cooking is much better though”.

“Cooking?” Adrien demanded “You’ve never tried anyone else’s cooking, all you wanted was cheese” Adrien turned to Marinette. “How the hell did you manage to get him to eat anything but cheese?” Marinette shrugged

“Maybe I just don’t baby him like you do, and I don’t exactly have money enough to buy hundreds of camembert wheels every week,” she said,

“Witchcraft” Adrien hissed in disbelief. It was the only possible explanation that could’ve possessed Plagg to eat actual food. After barely five minutes of having Plagg back, Adrien was already realizing how much he had missed the small, arrogant little cat.

“Well with your sappy meeting out of the way. Plagg, I saved you some tarts from the cafe today” Plagg looked to Adrien with a smirk on his lips.

“Sorry kid, you’ve been KO’ed in one sweep. She’s my favourite now”

“Outdone by a tart” Adrien muttered, He shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was to hear Plagg favoured food over him. He watched the Kwami devour the food that was presented to him, if only he could enter him in an eating competition, he’d make millions in bets.

“Now then!” Adrien looked up to Marinette. “You only got back in today didn’t you?” she asked, Adrien’s sheepish expression must have been enough of an answer to her question. “Right then, so that means you’ve done almost nothing to fix up your apartment for tonight” Adrien raised his finger to object and defend himself before lowering it once more, realising arguing against the truth was futile. “Right, I didn’t think so. I’ll bring out Alya’s mattress for you since she’s away with her family right now because if you don’t stay here you’ll sleep in a dust pile and eat cup noodles” Marinette was almost speaking to herself at this point, shaking her head slightly but the smile on her lips couldn’t be hidden.

Marinette moved into the kitchen, opening the fridge and considering a moment before she started plucking out different ingredients “Now I don’t have a clue about you, Adrien, but I’m starving” She took her collection of items and placed them on the bench, bumping the fridge door closed with her hip before turning to Adrien and cocking her head slightly.

It was an image that a lesser man would have been lost in, a beautiful woman standing there with a messy bun and the remnants of flour stuck to her clothes, but Adrien would not be sucked in that easily, instead he resisted the urge to stare by walking into the kitchen himself, next to Marinette and laying his chin on top of her head.

“What are we making, Princess?” he asked.

“Ummmm, some kind of pasta, I have spaghetti but that’s as far as my thought process went.”

“Ahh, well you see, Mari. I am a highly inexperienced cook, and by inexperienced I mean reading microwave instructions can be a challenge. So you’re going to have to be the one who works it out.” He returned, a smile tugging at his lips when Marinette made a groan of disapproval.

“You just sit down, I’ll handle the food, you’re on dishes though” Maπrinette began humming a soft tune to herself as she chopped vegetables with all the precision of a chef. Adrien sat down and watched as she gently moved her hips to a silent beat, around the kitchen with all the grace of a dancer, her body movements becoming hypnotic, it took all of his strength to look away. Adrien felt a soft weight settle in his hair, a thin black tail drooping over his nose.

“So, how is my favourite bottomless pit doing these days?” he asked, Plagg’s tail twitched, tickling his nose.

“Oh, the days have been cruel to me” Plagg slowly started sliding down Adrien’s face, his paws held dramatically to his head. “A life without camembert is surely as bad as your love life”. Adrien snickered,

“That bad, huh? I didn’t know I left you with such a tortuous life, it must be so horrible!”

“You know, I won’t say it twice and if you ever ask I will deny it. But I did miss your blonde mop, and you too I suppose.” Plagg huffed gently, Adrien could almost feel the tears prickling in his eyes.

“Oh, you do care for me! And here I was thinking you didn’t have a heart”

“Forget I said anything, you’re too sappy”

Adrien held Plagg close, it felt so much more calm to have him here again. “I’ve missed you too, bud”.  
The time drifted away as the old friends caught up, laughing over old adventures, learning about the ones that passed without each other, gossiping and teasing as the fading sunlight danced across their faces.

“If only I had a camera, some of the things you did as a kid where priceless! Remember the time you spent sneaking around Paris in a purple trench coat to hide from Chloe? Priceless!”

“And I am thankful every day that you do not have a camera, it would be a nightmare.” Adrien rested his head in his hands; he was just thankful that only Plagg knew about these things.

Marinette’s voice drifted from the kitchen. “Well, if you two are quite done embarrassing yourselves, there’s some food up here.” Plagg flew off, of course, he wouldn’t stay long with food around. “Typical,” Adrien muttered, standing up to join Marinette in the kitchen. Adrien and Marinette ate the food she had made, while Tikki and Plagg ate off a small saucer, chatting aimlessly about things even Adrien had no clue about. Adrien and Marinette kept pleasant conversation around mouthfuls of food.

“With cooking like this, you’re cafe must be going well”

“Oh, it is! I’ve even been looking at renting out the upstairs space and using it as a secondary space. What about you? How were your travels?”

“Unusual, it’s very odd being in a different country and living there. They never hold a candle to Paris though.”

Adrien and Marinette spent the night with stolen smiles and foreign glances, it was peaceful to have them each back in the others lives. They sat for hours, sipping hot chocolate, counting stars and watching their favourite movies until eventually, it was time to say good night.

“Goodnight, kitty” Her voice was softer than the breeze, somehow all the more powerful as its melody kissed his ears.

It was certainly the most comfortable sleep Adrien had in a long time. Surrounded by friends, back in the city of love.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien visits Chloe and his father, let's see how much they've changed, shall we? 
> 
> No real plot here, sorry guys. Reintroducing Chloe and Gabriel was too big a task to not put it in its own chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, for anyone still tuning in. I'm so sorry that this update took forever. I've been in my last year of school and also just haven't been able to build up the motivation to write. I hope you enjoy it though! Let me know anything that confuses you or anything about the lore you want to know!

The first Akuma fight was straining on both the two heroes, it was a big shift in their lives to go from ordinary to extraordinary in a matter of minutes.

It took a couple of weeks for both Ladybug and Chat Noir to get used to their new lives as superheroes, it began to fit into their normal routine in a silly sort of way; Go to school, stop the latest akuma, save Paris. It almost felt too normal, but neither would give it up for the world, they each found solace in being able to break free from themselves and be someone new, feel the wind rustle through their hair as they did what no one else could. It wasn’t long before Ladybug brought up the idea of going out for night time patrols, and since then, it became a common occurrence to for them, flying over Parisian rooftops, keeping a watchful eye out for anything off, just another piece to their routines. After each patrol, Ladybug and Chat Noir would sit and talk, it wasn’t much at first but after a while, they became closer, learnt to trust each other more, leant closer, smiled more. Both of the superheroes knew that they had to keep their secret identities a secret, but their alter egos were separate to themselves, they both held back less, able to show themselves more while they were hiding behind the mask.

It was raining the night of their clash, the water was cold but the air around them was warm, it was a curious night, to say the least. The two of them sat under shelter as high above Paris as they could be, their hair damp from patrol in the rain but neither of them ready to go home yet. They spoke of their secrets and little quirks that would rarely leave their lips for anyone else. 

“You know I’m afraid of snakes right?” 

“Oh come on, my lady, that's hardly a secret, a lot of people are afraid of snakes,” Chat said with a smile on his lips, a teasing lilt to his voice.

“No it isn’t a secret; what is a secret is that one day I was so tired that I was falling over my feet and I saw a caterpillar on my window and thought it was a snake.”

“You’re joking!” Chat laughed

“Nope!” Ladybug began to giggle “I was so scared that I totalled half of my room and almost broke the window” by the end of her sentence she was laughing. 

Chat Noir fell onto his back, his body shaking with a laughing fit. “Only you could mistake a tiny caterpillar for a snake!” he sat up, wiping tears from his eyes.

“You better watch it, kitty or you might just find yourself tossed out in the rain, it’s your turn; tell me a secret” Ladybug said.

“Hmmmm. When I was six I was determined to be a lion tamer when I grew up, I ran around in an apron and tried to teach my cat tricks. I suppose it’s come in handy now I have a cat kawmi.” 

Ladybug snickered. “I would have paid good money to see something like that, your cat must’ve hated you for a week.”

“A month” They both began shaking with laughter, taking deep breaths to calm down. There were tears prickling in each of their eyes, but they didn’t feel right, they felt as if their tears weighed of lead and nothing at the same time, they stung but soothed in the same instant, they both felt a tear roll down their cheek and splash on the pavement where they sat. they shone for a brief second before they both emitted a dazzling ray of blinding light. They two heroes covered their eyes and leaned away from the light. When they looked back to where the tears were before, there were now two simple bracelets with soul gems. Ladybugs, a rough black gem with three jagged green cuts, like cat scratches through the stone. Chat Noir’s a smoother more refined red gem with speckles of black through the gem. They each picked up their bracelet and turned to face each other, stuck in silence for a moment before Chat spoke up.

“So, Ladybug is my platonic soulmate, huh? I thought black cats weren’t meant to be lucky”

 

\-----

Adrien’s eyes slowly wrenched their way open, fighting back the claws of sleep and dragging himself to waking. His eyes took a second to adjust, outside the window the morning light was soft and subtle, the sun just finally reaching above the horizon as the earth below tried to capture one small drop of the liquid light. 

“Finally up, sleepy head?” Adrien turned around and saw Marinette standing a few steps back, a pillow in her hands. In his sleepy state, he almost didn’t register that same pillow gently sail towards his head, barely managing to dodge it.

“Oh really!? It’s on!”

Adrien grabbed the pillow behind him while Marinette dived for the one on his mattress, grabbing it just in time to block Adrien’s attack. It became a flurry of pillows and limbs as the two battled it out, Both of their hair was ruffled and were breathing heavily. Marinette was winning, pushing Adrien back to the corner of the mattress, he realised there was only one way out of this, he threw his pillow at Marinette and while she blocked the incoming pillow he dived forwards, moving his fingertips against her sides; tickling, the one trick to rule them all. Marinette stiffened for a moment before she began to flail, unable to hold back the laughter in her chest as she feebly tried to push Adrien back.

“T-that’s cheating and you know it!” she exclaimed.

Adrien pulled back and tried to regain control of his breathing. “All is fair in love and war, Princess” he laughed. They both sat there for a moment, steadying their breaths. 

“Well, now that I’m completely awake; what are the plans today, Marinette?”

“I’m taking you shopping, that’s the plan” 

“Shopping? Why do we need to go shopping?”

“We’re going shopping to buy decent food for you so when you go home you won’t be eating junk, Adrien,” Marinette said as she fixed her hair, twirling it high into a messy bun once again.

“That is insulting but fair, Princess. It may be true but you still wound me” 

“Shh, now just get ready we want to hit the markets early so have more time.”

Adrien and Marinette quickly got ready and set out along the Parisian streets towards the markets, as they walked the aimlessly chatted about anything that popped into their heads.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at the cafe today?”

“Nope, I told them I was taking a day off today, they’ll be fine as long as they don’t burn the place down.”

“Well if they do manage to burn it down, hopefully, the poster will burn” 

“Nope.” Marinette giggled “That poster is sure to survive anything”

Adrien groaned but continued walking, looking over at Marinette, Her eyes reflected a tiny spot of sun, it was like a small drop of gold in a sea of blue, He turned away quickly any time she caught him staring but he was always pulled back to her every time.

\-----

At the markets they bought as much as they could carry; fresh fruits and vegetables, loaves of bread that still felt warm to the touch, fish that still smelt of the ocean spray from over rocks. With their arms laden with food they began the walk back to Adrien’s apartment, opening the door and setting down their purchases, kicking up small clouds of dust with their movements. Marinette coughed and looked rather displeased at the mess that had amassed while Adrien was overseas. 

“Looks like you have a bunch of dust bunnies to clean up, kitty. I have to be getting back because Alya’s getting home today but I’ll come back later today and bring some recipes; teach you to cook more than pasta.” She waved, letting herself out and gently closing the door behind her; the second she left it felt like the whole apartment had lost some of its light.

\-----

“So, Mr Perfect, love of your life is back in town and you didn’t tell me?”

“I’m telling you now Alya!” Marinette chuckled as the two of them burst through the door to their apartment, the noise of their chatter reverberating through the space.

“Don’t go sweating the small stuff, Mari. How did it go anyway? Did you manage to get a sentence out in front of the love of your life?” Alya teased, clasping her hands together and batting her eyes at Marinette.

“He’s not the love of my life, Alya. I’m sure he was just a stupid crush-” 

“Ah ah ah, you and I both know that you two were meant to be, your soul-gems just haven’t gotten the message yet” 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, but I think soul-gems might know a little bit more about this than you”

“Nuh-uh, no way, I am the looooove connoisseur; I may as well be the soul-gem queen” Alya sounded even more extravagant than usual, framing her face with both her hands; Marinette could almost see the crown on her head.

“The day that you make it so Adrien and I clash I will bow down at your feet and kiss your shoes, my queen. Until then, I think your powers.” Marinette made air-quotes with her fingers. “Are a little outside the realm of possibility”

“Ah, feeble mortal you will one day realise my power” Alya proclaimed.

Marinette moved to the kitchen and begun taking ingredients out. “I think if there’s any soul-gem queen, it would be me, Alya. I mean, I am the one who set you up with Nino.”

Alya scoffed, “You locked us in an animal cage and forgot about us”

“I still got you together didn’t I?” 

Alya absentmindedly twiddled with the soul-gem that hung from a chain on her neck and let out a whisper. “I suppose so.”

“Okay now I’m going to make a cake for Adrien as a welcome home gift, do you want to help or not?”

“Uh shouldn’t blessing him with our presence be enough?” Alya said, already walking to the kitchen to help. 

The two friends worked with peaceful coordination, moving around each other with precision, swiftly working together to prepare the batter, after two hours of blissful baking which filled the apartment with smells of vanilla and sugar, the two friends were done, both of them sporting cake icing on their cheeks. 

\-----

After Adrien had put the groceries away and cleared the layer of dust that had all but crystalised itself around his apartment, sweeping and dusting until his muscles protested. Finishing his cleaning and now sitting in his silent apartment, it wasn’t long before he got annoyed with the silence, grabbing his keys he walked out his apartment door without a second thought.

The problem with making impulsive decisions is you often don’t know what to do next, this was the situation Adrien was in. He slowly walked the streets of Paris, becoming lost in his own thoughts as he walked, thinking of Marinette and how nice it had been when she was with him today. Once his train of thought snapped back to reality, Adrien realised he’d made it to the front doors of the Grand Paris Hotel.

\-----

To say Chloe had changed would be an understatement, Adrien barely recognized her at first, looking twice before he was certain it was her. Chloe had cut her hair short, it stopped just above her shoulders, the ends of her sun-dipped blond hair stretching down to reach her collarbones, a waterfall of yellow petals framing the highly decorated gem that hung from her neck; He supposed some things would never change. Her soulgem stood out against her pale skin, bright colours and awe-inspiring patterns glittering under the surface, it was one of the most beautiful gems he had seen, he would never let her know that though; too much ego was a bad look for Chloe. The chain around her neck was a stark contrast to the dainty bracelets around her wrist, Chloe was the only people Adrien knew who had so many mini-gems, they each stood for someone that was close to you but wasn’t quite a platonic soulmate. From what Adrien had heard keeping in touch with Chloe over the past few years, she’d taken a change and become a real Casanova, it was quite baffling. The most surprising of all was seeing a pink and white gem on the bracelet. Adrien didn’t quite believe it when Chloe had told him, a soulgem for Marinette; No one could have guessed they’d be platonic soulmates. 

It didn’t take long for Chloe to notice Adrien standing there and bring him into one of her trademark all too tight hug, Adrien was fairly certain she was screaming his name; it was hard to be sure, the pitch of her squeals had all but made his eardrums bleed.

“Good to see you too Chloe.” Adrien gasped out, finally able to breathe once she released him from the hug.

Suddenly Chloe’s mood changed, becoming very serious and glaring at Adrien.

“Don’t you give me that ‘good to see you’ crap, Agreste. Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were back in Paris!?” 

“Aww don’t feel left out, I didn’t actually tell anyone, not even my dad.” Adrien laughed.

“Oooh he wouldn’t have taken the news well. What was his face like when you told him?” Adrien’s face dropped at her words. “You did tell him didn’t you? Wow, mister grumpy is going to be even less happy you’re telling him after telling me.”

“Yeah, I should really go tell him.” Adrien turned to move towards the door with haste. 

Chloe quickly grabbed his arm. “Oh no you don’t, I am not letting you run away! You don’t just get to come here after a year and a half and then leave before telling me everything! Grumps can wait, he can’t really get madder at you can he?” 

Adrien and Chloe spent the next hour talking about his time overseas, Chloe not settling until she knew every detail, it was a little exhausting to talk to her but he did enjoy her having her company back again. 

Once she was finally satisfied that she was caught up on his stories, she let him leave, quickly dashing off in the direction of the Agreste mansion.

\-----

Back when Adrien lived in the mansion as a teenager, it was very bleak. The walls and decorations were monotones, any speck of colour around the home was quickly snuffed out. If Adrien from back then had walked those halls now, he would have thought he was crazy! The painting that hung on the walls were bright and vibrant, the air felt fresh and carried the scent of fresh pastries and fruit; there were strings of lights hung from every corner, it was almost like walking into a storybook wonderland. 

Discovering Hawkmoths true identity had been a huge shock to Adrien, he hadn’t managed to come to terms with it for a long time. Once they had taken his father’s Miraculous and retrieved the Peacock Miraculous, they debated for a long time what should be done with his father. It came as a shock to everyone when the miraculouses were returned to Master Fu, they discovered that not only was the Peacock Miraculous damaged, but the Butterfly was too. It had taken some time, but it wasn’t long before both Miraculouses were repaired, they had learned that both miraculous had corrupt energy, leaving his mother in a ‘frozen’ state and leaving Hawkmoth to become twisted and scornful every moment he spent with it. As the Miraculous was repaired and Gabriel didn’t have it by his side, Adrien began to notice some changes; he became nicer, kinder, a better version of himself than Adrien had ever known, he could still be harsh and bitter, but he was never hateful or evil like he was. It was a relief for Adrien to finally see his true father once again. 

His crimes, however, could not be left unpunished. Gabriel may not have been himself while he was Hawkmoth but he was still the one letting loose the akumas. He had been sentenced to mental evaluations as his condition cleared, he had been confined to his house for a few years after his defeat and was left to find his own ways to give back to the Parisians; but if the way the mansion was decorated was any clue, Adrien thought it was safe to say he was reformed. 

Many still disagreed that Hawkmoth’s punishment was not fitting and still did not accept Gabriel but everything was looking up for the reformed supervillain. 

Adrien took a deep breath before gently pushing open the door to his father's room open, he was, however, ill-prepared for this miraculous change. 

The walls in the room had been repainted bright colours with gems on strings descending from the ceiling like rain droplets. The portrait of his mother had been replaced, it was her, in a field of flowers, the same flowers that were held by vases around the room. Papers with drawings of intricate patterns littered the desks and walls. Adrien had not seen his father’s creativity flow like this since he was a young boy. 

Seeing his father very engrossed in his work, Adrien lifted his hand and tapped his knuckles against the door twice, watching Gabriel’s head fly up in response; his eyes grew like saucers and he all but shot up out of his seat to get to Adrien.

“Adrien! You’re back!” His father wrapped his arms around him and squeezed, lifting his toes off the ground with an impressive bear hug before suddenly dropping him.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were back?! When did you get back?” His gaze now had a sharpness to it, staring Adrien down. 

“Hold on, Father. I only got back yesterday, you’re one of the first to know.” Adrien watched as his father's gaze softened, before hardening again. 

“Well, I should have known weeks ago, before your feet left the ground of American soil.” He said sternly.

“Well if you’re not happy to see me I suppose I'll just go-” 

“Now wait right there, I am happy to see you, just wish my only son would tell me when he's back home” 

“I’m telling you now, Father, I’m back home” 

“Yes, I can see that” Adrien could have sworn he heard a huff of laughter coming from his father. Surely not.

“So what’s been going on here? I almost didn’t recognise the place at first. Thought it must have been hit by some sort of bright crystal blizzard.” Adrien said, pointing up to the crystals hanging from the ceiling. 

“You should know better than to mock my creative process.” Gabriel stood beside him and pointed towards the ceiling. “Every day I am without the butterfly miraculous, I can feel myself becoming more and more myself. But I realised a few months ago that Hawkmoth’s devastation exists whether he does or not.” He paused, breathing in slowly. “I went through all the akuma records and connected with each and every victim, the gems are to represent them, some of them are even real soul gems.” Adrien felt tears prickle his eyes at his father’s words; his gaze worked its way through each of the gems across the room before falling on one at the back of the room, more vibrant than any other, his mothers, hanging delicately beside her portrait on the back wall. Purple and grey, smooth and refined, the perfect image of his father. Adrien wiped his eyes on his sleeve. 

“Is mum back yet?” He gestured to the crystal, and he watched Gabriel’s eyes soften. His mother had recovered from the effects of the peacock miraculous and had woken up a few weeks after Hawkmoth’s defeat. Coming back into a world that had passed her by was a shock, and she didn’t allow it to pass her by; like Adrien, she began travelling the globe, giving her soul gem to his father and taking his in return, she set off to discover all that she had missed.

“Not yet,” he sighed. “But she will come back to Paris when she is ready. Hopefully, she will give me a little more notice than someone else.” 

“Oh no, you’re not going to let that go, are you? I guess I'll just have to make fun of your decorating some more.” As much as he tried to hide it, this pulled an honest laugh out of his father and he began guiding him out of the room.

“Alright, I’ll have some food made and you can tell me just how bad my interior design and tell me about America.” 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any questions or comments are really appreciated, I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Leave me a comment or send an ask over to my Tumblr @zematronic <3 <3
> 
> If you find any spelling mistakes or something that doesn't make sense, let me know. I'll fix it when I can.

**Author's Note:**

> AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that was... Something, Any questions you have please direct them to my tumblr: zematronic.tumblr.com or post a comment and I'll do my best to reply. I hope you enjoyed, I hope it wasn't too bad.


End file.
